EPA addressing soil contamination in Missouri towns

POTOSI — Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency will be in eastern Missouri this week to outline soil contamination cleanup plans in three towns — Potosi, Old Mines and Richwoods.

The Park Hills Daily Journal reports that community meetings will be Tuesday in Potosi concerning cleanup in Potosi and Old Mines, and Wednesday in Richwoods.

All three towns are in Washington County, part of the "Old Lead Belt" region where lead was mined for hundreds of years, leaving contamination in soil and groundwater. EPA for years has been cleaning up contaminated residential properties.

The EPA believes about 870 properties still require cleanup in Potosi, 396 in Old Mines and 98 in Richwoods.